Drilling speed recorder



Aug. 29, 1944. w. l. McLAlNE 2,357,051

' )BILLING SPEED RECORDER Filed June 10, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Il A iWILUAM L. MsLAlNE NVENTR,

F|G.3 l .v v omvfr.

Aug. 29, 1944.l w. l.. McLAlNE 2,357,051

DRH-LING SPEED RECORDER v Filed June 10, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 A11-1.1flans-411 n1r IVE flan (HIL. DI l FIG.4

WILLIAM L. M9 LAINE /NI/ENTOR,

` Patented Aug. 29, 1944 UNITED STATES" PATENT oFFlcE j `ip pximamn June1o, 1940, serial No. 333,624

2 Claims.

The object of the inventionis to provide a device for showinggraphically the time consumed in drilling unit distances with rotaryearth boring apparatus.

It is well known that in the practice of drilling with rotary apparatus,the time Aconsumed in penetrating some unitary distance, as for exampleone foot, is an approximate measure of the hardness of theformationbeing penetrated. Obviously the relation is not exact inasmuchas both the type of bit and its momentary condition as well as, to-alesser degree, such factors as fluid viscosity and-circulation velocity,influence th speed at which hole is made.

Despite its approximate character, a record of the foot by foot drillingtime gives information regarding the formations penetratedwhich may beextremely useful, and the practice of recording the time at intervalsof, say, one yfoot is; coming into use by careful operators.

Such records require that the driller observe a clock and note down thetime at each foot interval, an observation which is-itself highly liableto error. It is also necessary that the intervals in minutes -betweenthese recorded times be plotted against well depths on a log sheet toproduce a curve which will point out the positions ofthe harder andsofter formations, this plotting beinga laborious operation.

. I propose an apparatus which will produce ra traced log of hardness(as measured by time) on supported in sockets at its ends as at I3 andI4.

lThe mandrel' is preferably provided with a drum the case as by abracket 23. The feed rolls are supported from the end and one side ofthe case as by socket 24 and bracket 25.

A rock shaft 26 is journaled in a bracket 21 and a bushing 28 and isprovided outside the case with a thumb lever 29.AN One of the'fe'edrollers,

in the illustration (Fig. 2) the lower roll 20, 1

carries on its end a ratchet wheel 30. The teeth of this ratchet engagea pawl 3I moved by an eccentric 32 which is attached to shaft 26 andwhich is rotated through say 1/6 of a turn when the thumb leverisdepressed. The movement of this lever is limited by a stop 33 and itsreturn to its original position is ensured by an unbalanced weight 34which encounters a stop 35 at the end of its travel. A second pawl 36prevents reverse movement of the feed roll and maintains the'tension ofthe paper strip. The two pawls are held against the ratchet by flatsprings l3l and 38.v The relation between the diameter` of feed roll 20and the number of teeth in the ratchet 30 is such that the advancementof the ratchet a continuous strip, the sole burden on the operator beingto pressa lever or button each-time a mark indicating anincrease indepth of one foot passes out of sight in the drilling table, or\ whichmay make such record automatically when actuated from some verticallymoving part of the drilling apparatus.

An exemplary form of the invention is shown in the attached drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a cross section and internal elevation taken von the line 2--2of Fig. 1; l

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section and elevation taken on the line 4-4 ofFig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a replica of a small portion of the tapev recordformed by the instrument.

Referring to the drawings, I0 is a case of some rigid' material such ashardwood, metal, or plastic, which serves to protect and to support theworking parts of the apparatus. II is a roll of the paper or other tapeon which the record is one full tooth will move the paper strip adesired distance. For example, if the feed roll be 0.318

inch in diameter, the ratchet might have teethy A which would give apitch of inch and a pitch diameter of 2 inches.

, Above and parallel to the platen is arranged a pen carriage 39 sliding-in ways 40-40 connected at their ends by straps 4I 4I. I A pen orstylus 42 is passed through the outer'end of the pen carriage which alsocarries at a point adjacent the pen a small idler roller 43. From the'ways is projected an arm 44 which is pivoted at 45 in a bracket 46. Theouter end of arm 44 bears` on a cam 41 attached to shaft 26, which alsocarries a disc 48 having a notch 49 cut in its face. When the thumblever 29v is depressed as above described, the disc is rotated untilthe.

formed. This roll is carried on a mandrel I2 55 along the length ofplaten I8, and across part of the width of the strip, by a frictionwheel 8| driven by any suitable motive power generally indicated at 52through a speed reduction suggested by the train of worm gears andpinions i3d-53d. The motive power may be avspring 5 actuated clock, atelechron clock, or a constant speed motor, in fact any prime moverhaving a dependably constant speed. The friction wheel revolvesconstantly in one direction, should be hard faced, and may well engage afacing strip l Il of slightly resilient material, such as paper fiber,yapplied to the lower face of the carriage. The diameter of the frictionwheel andthe gear reduction are so proportioned to the constant motorspeed as to carry the pen across the paper at a desired rate, as forexample at the rate of one inch in four minutes or six minutes. Thecarriage is lightly pressed against the friction wheel by an idler' roll55 which is journalledn a bracket 56 projected from the ways I0. So longas the pen is in contact with the paper, the carriage is in contactwithy the friction roller and is moved across the paper, up to the pointwhere theend of the carriage passes out from between the rollers, afterwhich the pen stands still. When thumb lever 29 is depressed and the penlifted froml the paperas above described, the ways-and carriage arelifted, freeing the carriage from contact with the friction roller, andthe carriage is then returned to its starting position against a stop 51by 30 a pull cord 58 which passes over idler rolls 59' and connects witha long light spring lill, or by f equivalent means.

As the carriage reaches the end of the return stroke, an arm 6|projected laterally from the 35 outer end and lower face of the carriageencounters the arm B2 of bell crank 5U, thus disengaging the oppositearm from notchAS and allowing weight 34 to rotate shaft 26 and retractvthe lobe of cam I1 from arm 44, thus allowing v4.0

the pen to come again into contact with the paper and the carriage intocontact with the friction wheel. This returns all the parts to theirstarting position and the travel of the pen across the paper beginsagain, tracing a new 5 line spaced from the previouscline by a distanceequal to the distance through which the paper strip has been fed by theratchet and feed roller vas above described.

In using the instrument the drill stem or kelly is marked atdesiredintervals. As each mark reaches a predetermined point, such as thesurface of the table, the thumb lever is actuated and thus the length ofthe line drawn by the pen is proportionate tothe time elapsed betweentwo such actuations, with the proviso that if the time exceeds thatrequired for the carriage 39 to eiect its maximum travel, the carriageruns out from between idler 55 and drive pulley 5I and thus the lengthof the line is limited to the capacity of the paper strip provided. Itmay be desirable to provide a strip wide enough and a carriage longenough to indicate up to, say, one hour, a

single line of this length between much shorter lines indicating eithera very hard thin shell or 05 that drilling was suspended at that point.This distinction may be indicated by making a suitable mark on therecord, or the travel of the pen may be stopped when drilling isdiscontinued, as by stopping the motive power or by moving one of theworm pinions 53a or 53e out of contact with its mating gear.

In order to interpretthe record it is desirable to endorse on itnotations of bit changes and other factors which would influence thedrilling rate. A record produced in this manner will appear as in Fig.5, in which the paper is so scaled that each main division laterallyindicates, say, fifteen minutes and each main division longitudinallyindicates, say, fifty feet.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for recording, from a series of irregularly 'occurringevents, a chart in which the duration of each time interval betweenevents is traced against the ordinal numeral of said interval,comprising: a platen and means for maintaining a record strip inposition on said platen;

a marking implement; means for driving said marking implement acrosssaid strip at a predetermined constant velocity; resilient meansarranged to urge'said implement in the direction opposite tothat of themotion caused by said driving means; means for substantiallysimultaneously disengaging said driving means to permit the return ofsaid marking implement to its starting point and advancing said striplongitudinally a xed distance at the moment of each of said irregularlyoccurring events; and means for reengaging said driving meansimmediately upon a return of said marking implement to its startingpoint.

2. A device for recording, from a series of irregularly occurringevents, a chart in which the duration of each time interval betweenevents is traced against the ordinal numeral of said interval,comprising: a platen and means for maintaining a record strip inposition on said platen; a marking implement mounted in a carriagetransyersely movable with respect to said record strip; driving meansfrictionally engaging the under side of said carriage; means for movingsaid driving means at a constant, predetermined velocity; resilientmeans arranged to urge said carriage in the direction opposite to thatof the motion caused by said driving means; means for lifting saidcarriage and thereby removing said marking implement from said recordstrip and disengaging said carriage from said driving means, thuspermitting the return of said carriage to its starting pointj means foradvancing said record strip longitudinally a fixed distance; means forsubstantially simultaneously actuating said lifting means 'and saidadvancing means at the moment of each of said irregularly occurringevents; `and means for reengaging said carriage with said driving meansimmediately upon a return of saidI carriage to its starting point.

WILLIAM L. MCLAINE.

